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Sunday, July 22, 2012

REPORT ON TROUBLED FAMILIES - JULY 2012

You may have caught the reports at the weekend about
the woman who is saying that problem families are having too many children. Her
solution: “The mothers need to think carefully next time”.

I dare say I’m not the only Carer who thinks
capping these families is a good idea. Severely
incapable mothers need to stop having children. But does anybody really believe we can solve the problem by asking the mothers to think?

I don't. But even in my anonymity, I'm too sensitive to the awaiting backlash to pin up my views, as, I suspect is the author of the report. I'll pussyfoot, and say that I believe the time has come for a debate about intervention.

LOUISE CASEY

LOUISE CASEY

The woman who has drawn up the report, Louis Casey, doesn't usually
mince her words. In fact she’s famous for telling it like it is: “If
No 10 says bloody 'evidence-based policy' to me one more time I'll deck
them," she joked. "... and probably get unemployed."

The
Guardian said “Those who know Casey said her speech had been intended to be
ironic and was in character”

Victims' Commissionerof the United Kingdom in March 2010, a role from which
she resigned in October 2011.

Head of The Troubled
Families Programme 2012

HER REPORT ON "TROUBLED FAMILIES"

Obviously this is an issue that affects every
Foster Carer more deeply than most of the rest of the population – although it’s
worth knowing that the 150,000 troubled families in the UK are costing the
country £9 billion a year.

The report looks at 16 case studies: real live “families”
whose identities have been changed. Louise thanks them graciously for their
openness.

I suspect that she has gone for the most extreme
examples, as those probably harbour more insight, but give it a quick look yourself: almost every family reads like the average case we have to deal with.

"Phil" is the most interesting to me, 9 children with another on the way, he and his partner both with learning difficulties.

I’ll put the link to the report here, I’d be
interested in your thoughts.